SeaLink Magnetic Island Race Week day 3 - Of Chops and Sausages

At the IRC Racing Division start the breeze was blowing at around 14 knots. Under bright blue sky with white puffy clouds, Black Label (Tony Ross) chose a port hand start on the pin, three lengths behind the fleet.

Townsville based Zoe (Wayne Millar) was positioned three up from the pin and was fast out of the blocks, leading the fleet away.

Lunchtime Legend (Bob Robertson) was very well placed, above Under Capricorn (Phil Bedlington) and Zoe.
Zoe went right, followed a few minutes later by Lunchtime Legend.

At the top mark Zoe was ten lengths ahead of Lunchtime Legend, with three lengths further back to Black Label, who had a bad hoist and took a long time to get the kite stable. Another three lengths further back was Leon Thomas' Guilty Pleasures IV, then a further three back to Jason Close's White Noise. Under Capricorn was yet another six minutes back.

At the top mark for the second time, Zoe was five minutes ahead of Guilty Pleasures IV, with a boat length further back to Lunchtime Legend. Black Label had another bad spinnaker hoist, followed by a wineglass. White Noise was five minutes further back, with another five minute gap back to Under Capricorn.

About a third of the way down the run, Guilty Pleasures IV gybed away from Lunchtime Legends, but Robertson covered.

Zoe took the gun ahead of Guilty Pleasures IV, followed closely by the Legends and Black Label.

UBS Wild Thing led the Performance Racing fleet at the top mark, followed by Broadsword and Diva, who was just ahead of Twister.

Black Label Skipper Lee Randall said the team worked well despite the series being their first time racing together.

'We had a reasonably inexperienced crew, but we had some good people in the key positions,' he said. Again today we weren't quite as smooth as some of the others though.'

‘But we hope to close up some gaps by the end of the regatta'

'Although we have four firsts at the moment it's not easy out there but we hope to wrap this one up,' said Robbo after the days racing.

'The crew are doing a great job and we have a lot of people that want to sail with us and that makes a big difference.'

With a good team behind him and a boat in great shape, next on the cards for Lunchtime Legend is the Sydney to Hobart race.

Lunchtime Legends tactician Adam Brown will be racing in his 24th Sydney to Hobart this year with the Legends and is happy with its efforts Magnetic Island so far and the program for this season.

'We have a good team. Robbo and I did a Sydney to Hobart back in 1991, where we had a third place on the mighty Queensland Sanctuary Cove,' said Brown.

Smiling as he came back into the Regatta Office Denis Thompson said 'What a great day on the water. Now for the Barbeque. We have the Chops and Sausages, now we just need some beer.'

Shoreside on the Peppers Blue on Blue deck, the Taste of Queensland stalls were doing brisk business and with the enterntainment were in full swing, the crowds enjoying the glorious sunshine. The Fashion Parade attracted a large crowd.